Driving into action in the Easter Rising

PastImperfect: Motor Vehicles and the 1916
RisingWith the approach of Easter and the anniversary of
the Easter Rising of 1916, something which is often overlooked is
the part played by motor vehicles in the conflict. Both sides
employed the motor vehicle, in some cases with powerful effect. For
the first time, armoured cars were deployed in Ireland and whether
or not it was the Rolls-Royce armoured cars or the cruder, but no
doubt effective, improvised armoured lorries deployed by the Crown
forces, a new and sinister element was added to the conflict.

Perhaps the most familiar image of a motor vehicle in the
conflict is that of the burnt-out De Dion of The O'Rahilly in
Prince's Street, Dublin. His De Dion was used to carry arms and was
finally wrecked and ended up on a barricade. The O'Rahilly was
killed on Friday, April 28th, while leading a sortie from the GPO.
The remains of his De Dion were buried under Hill 16 at Croke Park.
The experiences of motorists varied greatly during the Rising. Lord
Donoughamore and his party were travelling in a hired Ford when
they were stopped in Harcourt Street, Dublin, and warned that the
road ahead was dangerous. They promptly turned around but as they
drove away a hail of bullets followed them, several passing through
the car.

That day, Barry Cole of the Scottish Commercial Car Company had
come over from Glasgow to Dublin on Easter Monday to exhibit at the
RDS Spring Show. He recounted: "I was witness of an exciting
incident as I stood in front of the Hibernian Bank (on O'Connell
Street) when a soldier was taken prisoner by a party of six rebels
. . . on the Wednesday morning I had a further look around and
inspected from the opposite side of the river the remains of
Liberty Hall."

The Rising was also notable for the introduction for the first
time of Rolls-Royce armoured cars into Ireland by the Crown forces.
These played a part in the suppression of the Rising in Dublin and
were also deployed in the west and south of the country. In
addition, the British forces built several improvised armoured
cars.

A more humanitarian aspect was the conversion of private cars
into ambulances to convey the wounded to hospitals. These already
existed when the Rising took place and had been used to convey the
steady stream of wounded soldiers arriving at Dublin's docks to
hospitals and convalescent homes throughout the country. The work
of the the Irish Automobile Club in this regard was well known, and
it continued to operate its ambulance service to all who were in
need of it, often under fire.